Brock's subordinate, a man dressed in hiking gear, blocked my way as I stepped through the Pewter City gym doors. "Back for another beating so soon? I'd thought by now you learned your lesson and went back to wherever you came from," he said with a smirk.
I ignored his comments and issued my challenge. Again. "Emberwilde comes to challenge the Pewter City gym leader for the Boulder Badge," I said loud enough for everyone in the gym to hear.
The Hiker laughed and stepped away from the group stationed near the doorway. Anytime someone entered one of them immediately challenged the newcomer, ensuring that only those worthy trainers get the chance to challenge the master of the gym. As we walked further into the gym, rock-type pokemon and their partners trained and honed their skills. Giant Onyx crushed boulders with their snake-like bodies and several Graveler tossed rocks through the air with ease. The constant crashing and crushing pounded in my ears and caused my teeth to grind.
Finally we got to the back of the gym and the arena floor. I walked over to the challenger's square on one end and the Hiker made his way to the opposite side. Between us lay 150 feet of gravel and sand with enormous boulders littered sparsely along the field. Ideal conditions for any rock-type pokemon.
"So, Bearer," shouted the Hiker, "am I going to get to see the famous Emberwilde you keep bragging about this time? Or just another weakling?" The small crowd around us laughed. Some of the pokemon and their trainers stopped their workouts and joined to watch the upcoming battle.
"Emberwilde refuses to waste his time playing with you and your pokemon, and will only battle the master of the gym. You will have to contend yourself with one of his subordinates who I'm sure will be a match for any pokemon you have" I said as I grabbed a pokeball from my belt.
The Hiker stood ready with his own pokeball in hand. "It wasn't a match for me the last several times. I doubt this time will be any different," he said. Then he threw his pokeball into the arena. As it flew, the Hiker shouted, "Go, Geodude!" In a flash of red light, a geodude appeared in the middle of the field. The pokemon stood almost a foot and a half tall and resembled a gray rock with arms.
I tossed my pokeball and a red flash revealed my Caterpie. Though it stood almost as tall, the green worm weighed a fifth that of its opponent. This would be like a heavyweight boxer fighting a child, and based on some of our previous battles it could turn out that way again.
Still, I couldn't help but smile. "Okay, Caterpie," I said directing it at the opponent, "just like we trained for."
The Hiker was just as confident, his laugh now giving his belly a jiggle. "Look Geodude, it's your favorite punching bag. Now, just like the last time. Use Tackle!" The geodude launched itself forward in an attempt to slam its entire mass against Caterpie.
Countering with a String Shot attack, Caterpie blinded Geodude for a split-second giving the bug-pokemon enough time to scuttle out of the way. The geodude missed by inches and instead slammed into one of the rocks on the field. The rock exploded as the pokemon's momentum carried it through the obstacle.
Geodude wiped the webbing from its face and re-oriented itself on Caterpie, though obviously a little dazed. The pokemon charged again, and again the caterpie countered with a String Shot attack. Geodude managed to halt its attack this time instead of slamming into another boulder and injuring itself in the process.
"Change of tactics, Geodude," said the Hiker, "let's try Rock Throw."
There's no way geodude could lift one of those boulders, let alone throw one, I thought. Then the geodude launched itself high into the air above us. Oh, it's throwing itself at us, I realized. "Caterpie," I said attempting to get my pokemon's attention, "keep at it. Use String Shot to keep slowing down Geodude's speed." Caterpie obeyed, coating the geodude in more webbing. It wouldn't slow the rock-pokemon's plummet but hopefully it would start to weigh the pokemon down for its future attacks.
Unfortunately we misjudged the geodude's rate of fall. By the time I noticed and ordered Caterpie to dodge, Geodude was almost upon it. Caterpie managed to dodge the brunt of the attack but the shockwave from the geodude slamming into the ground sent my pokemon flying several feet.
"Damn, I hadn't planned for that," I said as my pokemon righted itself. But, right now, there was nothing else I could to. "Stick with the strategy, Caterpie."
Caterpie launched another String Shot attack before Geodude jumped back into the air. The rock-pokemon didn't go as high as the last time but it still came down hard, leaving a crater upon impact. Again, Caterpie dodged but was still hit by the force of his opponent's impact on the field.
By the time Caterpie got back up, Geodude was already airborne. From the look on its face and how it wobbled, I could tell my pokemon was still stunned from the last strike. This time, Caterpie couldn't dodge in time. The rock pokemon came down like a meteor upon the green worm. A cloud of sand and gravel filled the air, blocking everyone's view of the battle. Suddenly, Geodude hopped out of the debris cloud but Caterpie's fate still remained uncertain.
"Get back in there Geodude. One more hit. Leave no doubt," the Hiker said. Geodude nodded to its trainer and launched itself back into the fog for another blow.
I flashbacked to one of Emberwilde's more extreme training days. The charizard attacked and all of the subordinates I'd caught in the Viridian Forest would do nothing except dodge and evade. Though Caterpie could launch itself a foot with some quickness, it still wasn't enough to get out of the way and it ended up stomped and smashed and burned all day. Eventually, out of sheer frustration, Caterpie fired a String Shot attack at Emberwilde's face, violating the rules and upsetting his lord. Emberwilde burned the gunk off his snout and then whipped his tail around, sending Caterpie through a tree. The charizard took to the air, landing heavy in front of the downed worm. Then he reached out a clawed hand and congratulated Caterpie. While other pokemon could dodge around their opponent's attacks until they found an opening to exploit, Caterpie realized it couldn't do that and struck back, attempting to blind its attacker instead. Besides, the Celestial Fire clan prided itself on offense and anything you did to set yourself up to be in a position of attack was commended. That's when I knew Caterpie would not only be a perfect addition to our team but would fit in just fine in the Tartarus Isles.
"Caterpie!" I shouted, as much as a warning as for encouragement. Suddenly there was a flash of light within the unsettled dust. Then came an impact though instead of the familiar sound of a boulder pounding upon the ground, it sounded closer to a rock striking an anvil. The Clang! echoed throughout the gym. Geodude flew back out of the haze and landed hard on the ground, obviously dazed. The entire gym went silent: the Hiker, the crowd, the other pokemon training, everyone.
The dust finally settled and sitting in the middle of it was a shiny green cocoon. I looked over at the Hiker. "Now this match is over," I said.
The Hiker just grunted. "So what, your Caterpie evolved to a Metapod. This changes nothing. Geodude, use Rock Throw."
Geodude started to launch itself into the air. "Metapod, use String Shot," I said, utilizing the same strategy. Webbing jetted from the green cocoon and coated the other pokemon. What the Hiker failed to realize was that though it was the same strategy, now that Caterpie evolved to Metapod, its attacks were stronger and more effective. The string shot that just added some extra weight now weighed the opponent down until it could barely move. The rock pokemon managed to show a short hop but wasn't able to launch itself into the air as it had before.
"Metapod use Harden," I said. Metapod shot the webbing upward, letting it fall and coat its cocoon. Unlike the string shot that stayed somewhat loose and sticky, Metapod was able to solidify it quickly making its shell even tougher and more defensible.
The Hiker growled, frustrated. "Ok Geodude, we'll just have to use the basics. Get over there and hit that Metapod with a Tackle attack," he said. The Geodude started toward my pokemon though much, much slower than before, almost a crawling pace. Seconds dragged by as the rock pokemon labored toward my new Metapod, its speed hindered significantly by the string shot holding it back and weighing it down. "You're done for now kid," said the Hiker as Geodude finally dragged itself in range of use its attack. "Your Metapod is just a sitting duck."
I smiled as his geodude put itself exactly where I needed it to be, in range for our own counterattack. Metapods, being typically stationary in the wild, are easy to overlook as a threat. Its predecessor Caterpie is even less threatening as just a tiny green worm scuttling slowly along the forest floor. What those that don't respect bug pokemon often overlook is that Caterpie's first attack is Tackle, a relatively weak attack that launches itself a short distance with very little mass to back it up.
However it doesn't just forget the move when it evolves to a Metapod and now it had a lot more weight to deliver, like a featherweight boxer wearing loaded gloves. Hardening the cocoon only added to the power of the attack. Our only issue now that Metapod was a cocoon was range as it couldn't launch itself as far. Luckily the geodude solved the issue for us by dragging itself closer, and, thanks to the previous continuous string shot, doing so at a relatively slow pace.
As if thinking the same thing, both the Hiker and I shouted simultaneously, "Now Tackle attack!" and our pokemon launched themselves forward. Force is equal to Mass multiplied by Acceleration. I was sure the geodude still weighed more than Metapod, but I hoped my recent efforts would give my pokemon the advantage in acceleration. The two pokemon collided and the impact was felt around the gym. They broke apart, both landing relatively on their feet and unfazed but everyone knew that last attack decided the battle. The seconds dragged by and neither pokemon moved, hesitantly watching the other for a show of weakness.
Uncertainly I called out, "Metapod, use String Shot," I said, hoping the simple attack was enough to not only tip the health of the opponent but also a show of strength as well. Metapod remained motionless. One second. Two. Three. Four. Finally a thin thread shot forth and it was enough. Once it touched Geodude the pokemon faltered and collapsed. The crowd erupted and I barely heard the referee declare Metapod the victor.
Both the Hiker and I returned our pokemon to their respective pokeballs. They offered me the chance to have Metapod healed prior to the face off with the gym leader but I declined. Much like Metapod who he trained so vigorously, Emberwilde would need no second to assist him in victory.
Slowly continuing along with my Pokemon Fanfic, "Emberwilde Comes." If you've somehow managed to keep track of this series after so much time between chapters (which I hope you have as it's the only thing here I'm proud of) you know that we are now caught up to the first chapter I ever wrote for this series, the Pewter City Gym battle. I do have some sort of plan going forward but this is a pretty major milestone, getting back to where I originally started. Also, if this story somehow feels both planned and rushed at the same time, well I guess it kind of is. I've been sitting on this idea for a while (as well as what I'm planning to be the next two chapters) but just never got around to writing it, instead focusing on other stories off of Reddit Writing Prompts. In my attempts to get one story a week (actually I was really trying for a new story every Tuesday), I realized I'd gotten stuck on the superhero story I'd started last week and just didn't know how to go forward with it. So, I was looking for a sort of palette-cleaner, something I could quickly work on that wouldn't (hopefully) be utter garbage in such a short period of time. And so, here we are.
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